The Mayoress
by goolcaptain
Summary: What if Mayor Wilkins found that special someone worth giving up evil for? What if a certain lady was to catch his eye?


Summary; What if the Mayor found something better than Ascension?  
Spoiler; Season 3 just after 'Gingerbread'  
Rating-PG  
Disclaimer; these characters belong solely to Mutant Enemy productions and not me and this fic is intended purely for fun internet distribution and not profit.  
Distribution; take what you like

If you're over 18 a slightly more adult version of this can be found under my name at adult fan fiction .net

The Mayoress

"Well thank you, it was so nice of you to give me a lift home" Joyce felt a little awkward. But somehow her companion put her effortlessly at ease.  
"Not at all" Richard Wilkins the Third (and First and Second for that matter) beamed at the woman standing next to him. She really was a vision. It had been a long time since he'd walked a lady to her doortstep but he considered himself a gentleman in all things.  
"About the damage to the hall..."  
"Now I won't hear of it. When I was Dartmouth we used to have political rallies around the campfire all the time"  
"Yes but they weren't indoors like ours was!"  
"Democracy in action , a wonderful thing. I must say I admired your organisational skills with MOO although things did get a little out of hand. If you were ever to want to participate in local politics..."  
Joyce blushed. "You're too kind. But what with the gallery and raising my girls, I really wouldn't have time"  
"Such a strong woman" he thought, "Single parent, business woman, divorcee, mother to the Slayer". He wondered if she was rejecting him with her last comment? He decided to try his luck. Who dares wins! "Well then, perhaps you could give me some artistic advice on re-modelling the hall after the fire damage? We were planning to anyway, truth be told"  
Joyce considered for a moment. "Yes, certainly, I'd be glad to"  
"Why don't we discuss it over dinner? I'm free all weekend" He made a mental note to cancel his demon tribute scheduled for that Saturday.   
Joyce nodded, a bashful look upon her face. "Yes, I'd like that Let me give you my number"  
The Mayor fought the urge to leap up and down like a jackrabbit as Joyce scribbled her telephone number on a business card. He stepped forward to take it from her.   
Their lips met. She felt so soft, tasted like strawberries. His tongue gently explored her mouth, biting her bottom lip softly. His hands came up and cupped her head, running his fingers through her hair. Joyce rested her hands on his shoulders and pressed herself close to him. She closed her eyes and murmured softly, a slight smile on at the edges of her lips.   
"My god" He thought, "This is all moving far too fast!". But she didn't shy away, instead rubbing herself against him and repositioning his other hand to her hip.  
"Way to go Joyce! You coming up for air anytime soon?"  
They broke the kiss off, Joyce flustered at the sight of the three young women standing there watching her in a man's arms on the front porch of her own home.  
She collected herself quickly. "Ah, girls this is Richard Wilkins, the Mayor of Sunnydale. Richard, these are my daughters" she pointed to the girl who had spoken" And their friend, Faith. She stays with us sometimes"  
A hundred years of council meetings had taught Wilkins to keep his cool. He took in this striking, petulant looking young woman before him. She dressed like a harlot and her expression virtually yelled "Screw you!" from every pore. He wanted to tell her to go upstairs, put some real clothes on and take her makeup off with a sandblaster.  
"Whatever!" Faith remarked looking away disinterestedly as he stepped forwards. Wilkins took her hand, bowed theatrically and kissed it. "Enchante!"  
Everyone giggled, even Faith.  
It was the smile that snared him, that smile that broke through the icy front that she showed the world. It spoke of a girl who needed love, who was overjoyed at this show of affection and intimacy but could never admit it, so deeply had she buried herself beneath her defences. In that moment all he wanted to do was take Faith in his arms and tell her everything would be alright.  
The smile was gone as quickly as it had appeared, the mask she wore was there again. But it was too late. He had seen through it and knew one day he would reach the diamond hidden beneath all that ever so carefully projected fire. He turned to the others.   
"Well, if this is Faith then I suppose these are Hope and Charity?"  
"I'm Buffy" she took his hand. She was so polite, Wilkins marveled. And so teensy. He didn't know what he had thought the Slayer would look like, something like those be-muscled plastic-dolls that did TV wrestling he'd supposed. He could see the power there, definitely, but also sensitivity and a gentle kindness. A lot of her mother's influence, no doubt about it. He had to admit to himself, he was absolutely charmed by this supposed thorn amongst his roses. Her hand had calluses on it, as did Faith's but then he supposed that was to be expected. It spoke volumes that there seemed to be not a trace of tension between Buffy and the mother who had so recently tried to roast her alive.  
"These sweet little girls have had a terribly hard, dangerous life" he realised, perhaps for the first time. The eldest Summers' daughter also smelt slightly sooty but he supposed that was only to be expected as well.  
A tiny shape was bobbing up and down excitedly behind Buffy as they shook hands. She graciously stepped out of the way to allow her through.  
"I'm Dawn!"  
"Yes, indeed you are" Wilkins thought it likely that there were buttons cuter somewhere in the world but he'd never seen one in his exceedingly long life. Unbidden he thought back to his Sally, his little sister, taken by the fever nearly a hundred years ago. She'd had a blue and white dress, just like Dawns'. She was just so lovely, she seemed to light up the night with her smile. Wilkins wondered how on earth any man could abandon such a wonderful wife and beautiful daughters?   
"Actually we've met before..."  
"Yes, we have" confirmed the Mayor "Your Girl Scout troop came to my office and posed for a picture". A photographic memory was a valuable thing for any politician. People loved to be remembered.  
Dawn squealed ecstatically and hid behind Buffy's sleeve, overcome by embarrassment.  
Joyce ruffled Dawn's hair and put her arm around Buffy. He noticed Faith stood a little to one side, yearning to join the affectionate trio but unable to bring herself to. He wanted to take her hand and place it in Joyce's, linking her to Buffy and Dawn, certain with all his heart she wouldn't be rejected. But the time wasn't right yet. Wilkins took his cue to leave.  
"Well, I think some little girls need their sleep. Joyce I'll call you" he pocketed her number carefully. "Goodnight ladies"  
Halfway down the path he turned and waved, besotted by the sight of them gathered together on the porch together. They all waved back to him, even Faith giving a little half flicker of her fingers as he got into the limo. As he closed the car door he saw them walk inside, Buffy's voice ringing happily through the air.  
"Ok mom, spill! We want the WHOLE story on your new beau! Flowers? Chocolates? Dancing? C'mon, spill, spill!"  
"Oh, Buffy" Joyce protested.  
"Yeah, Joyce, first base, second base or home run? Give it up!" Faith added. "Should we call the company to reupholster the limo or check its' suspension?"  
"Faith!" Joyce outrage sounded slightly affected.  
"Do you think he'd sign the picture of my troop with him?" Dawn asked excitedly.   
Wilkins smiled. In a hundred years women hadn't changed a bit. He was glad.

"Ah, sir?"  
"Yes Allan?"  
The deputy mayor proffered a napkin from the limo's mini-bar. "You have some lipstick..."  
The Mayor gratefully accepted the napkin and dabbed his mouth with it. "Thank you Allan, that would hardly have been fitting for the council meeting would it?"  
"No sir"  
Wilkins was silent for a moment. Eventually he spoke. "Allan, what do you think of Mrs Summers?"  
"She seems very, very nice"  
"She is, isn't she? What do you think of her girls?"  
"The Slayers? Oh, they're gorgeous, sexy as hell"  
The withering look Wilkins gave him left him in no doubt they were reading from a very different page.  
"I don't think 'sexy' is a word I would care to use, Allan. I think 'adorable' is more to my liking"  
"Yes sir, very adorable"  
"A little wild of course, but then that's only to be expected when they don't have a man about the house to look up to and take care of them" He was quiet again. Allan wondered where all this was going?. He decided to pick a subject that always got the Mayor's undivided attention.  
"Sir, we have the Box of Gavrok at a price we can afford but they want to charge us extra for transportation. Do we accept?"  
Wilkins frowned. "You knolan,lan, I was thinking. Perhaps we should put the whole Ascension issue on the back burner for a while? Say, oh, until after the autumn budget?"  
He couldn't believe his ears. "But sir! If we wait until then it will be impossible! If we miss the eclipse we'll NEVER have another opportunity! What's more you'll begin to age naturally again!"  
"Well, nothing wrong with a few more grey hairs" the Mayor declared. "Makes a man look distinguished in a Tom Selleck sort of way. I'm sure Mrs Summers wouldn't mind. Scales, now that would probably be a bigger issue for her. The Ascension is off the agenda, Allan" His words carried an air of finality.  
"Yes sir" What the hell was going on?  
"And regarding the budget, I think it would benefit us if we cut our ties to the supernatural"  
C...cut our ties to the netherworld?"  
Yes, oh I daresay they've been valuable in the past but I think it's time we moved on and concentrated more on civic matters. Call it a cost-cutting exercise. For instance, how much money could we save if we were to discharge our more, ah, undead employees?"  
Allan balked. "You...you want me fire the vampires!" He broke out into a cold sweat. They creeped him out at the best of times. The idea that he could tell a roomful of them that they were out of a job terrified him beyond measure.  
"Oh no" Wilkins relented. Allan breathed again. "Firing them would lead to all sorts of messy union issues, severance pay and that sort of thing. Better to just kill them all. As a side benefit we'd save the police a fortune in crime scene tape"  
For a moment Allan didn't react at all. Then he calmly took out his notebook and started scribbling. "Should we involve the Slayers?"  
"Heavens no, Buffy must be studying for her final exams about now and it wouldn't do to disturb her. Education is a blessing. In fact, contact Snyder and see if anything can be done to help her academically". Allan made another note. Wilkins continued "The hospital board owes me a few favours, see if they can supply us with some blood from the national donor campaign and we'll spike it with holy water and give it to them as a treat. It shouldn't be too much trouble, I spoke at their fundraising dance for them"  
"I'll have to bulk order the Holy Water from the Magic Shop" Allan thought out loud.  
"Good thinking" agreed the Mayor. "And be sure to have the cleaners do a thorough job with all that dust" He shuddered uncomfortably at the thought.  
"Will do" Allan responded. They pulled up to the Town Hall. As he got out the Mayor took in the building with a new sense of appreciation. "We do civic ceremonies here, don't we Allan, weddings and the like?"  
"Yes, sir. It takes a little doing but it can be arranged"  
The Mayor put his arm around him as they walked into the council chambers.  
"Have you ever done a best man's speech Allan? I'd ask my brother but he was killed during the Great War"  
"I'll have to get my tuxedo cleaned" thought Allan


End file.
